Comateens were a pioneering synth-punk band in NYC when it formed in 1978 when guitarist Ramona Jan and drummer Nicholas “Nic North” Dembling brought together the latter’s more straight ahead rock and pop musicianship and the former’s self-taught, experimental instincts. The group didn’t fit in so much with the other punk bands of the day because it was so different and it traveled in a bit different social circles so its sound wasn’t truly impacted by other groups. Jan was working at the Mediasound studio as an audio engineer as one of a very few women engineers in the world. The job would lead her to a lifetime career in audio engineering and production and working with the likes of Brian Eno, Talking Heads, Ramones (“Ramona” was written about her) and countless others. Jan left rhe band in 1980 and it continued through the mid-80s leaving behind three full-length albums. 2023 sees the release of a limited 12-inch (90 copies on orange vinyl and 200 on black on Left For Dead Records) of early single “Danger Zone” and the unreleased track “Elizabeth’s Lover” both of which feature the early lineup. The music in retrospect sounds like a more forward thinking example of early New Wave with synth used in a way in the songwriting that wasn’t as common until the 1980s placing Comateens ahead of its time. In this interview Jan and Dembling discuss the origins of the band and how it was a happy accident of not knowing or being told the proper way to make the band work as well as some of Jan’s time working with Eno.
Listen to our interview with Ramona Jan and Nicholas “Nic North” Dembling on Bandcamp and connect with Comateens at the links below where you can also find where to order the vinyl and/or digital download.
Left For Dead Records on Instagram
Left For Dead Records on Facebook
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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